The Warlocks, who would later rename their band the Grateful Dead, put on a show in 1965.

The Warlocks, who would later rename their band the Grateful Dead, put on a show in 1965.

Photo: Paul Ryan, Michael Ochs Archives/Getty

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Concert in Golden Gate Park with Grateful Dead and Jefferson Starship 9/28/1975
Lots of shots of spectators, fans and Deadheads

Concert in Golden Gate Park with Grateful Dead and Jefferson Starship 9/28/1975
Lots of shots of spectators, fans and Deadheads

Photo: Terry Schmitt, The Chronicle

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Fans dance at Golden Gate Park during a Grateful Dead and Jefferson Starship concert on Sept. 28, 1975, when the Dead were supposedly on hiatus.

Fans dance at Golden Gate Park during a Grateful Dead and Jefferson Starship concert on Sept. 28, 1975, when the Dead were supposedly on hiatus.

Photo: Terry Schmitt, The Chronicle

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Jerry Garcia and Phil Lesh of the Grateful Dead at the Warfield Theatre
06/26/1981

Jerry Garcia and Phil Lesh of the Grateful Dead at the Warfield Theatre
06/26/1981

Photo: Frederic Larson, The Chronicle

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History of the Grateful Dead

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From their first show as the Warlocks at a pizza place in Menlo Park to their farewell stand with three sold-out 50th anniversary shows at Chicago’s Soldier Field stadium, here are some key dates on the Grateful Dead’s incredible journey.

1965

May 5: Warlocks play Magoo’s: Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir, Ron “Pigpen” McKernan, Dana Morgan Jr. and Bill Kreutzmann play at Magoo’s Pizza Parlor in Menlo Park as the Warlocks, an electric band that took shape at Dana Morgan’s Music Store in Palo Alto.

June 18: Lesh on bass: Phil Lesh, recruited by Garcia to replace Morgan, plays his first show as bassist for the Warlocks at Frenchy’s in Hayward.

Dec. 4: Can you pass the Acid Test? The group becomes a staple at author Ken Kesey’s Acid Test parties. Kesey and his fledgling group the Merry Pranksters, which included Neal Cassady, hosted these legendary counterculture gatherings as public experimentations with LSD. It was the dawn of the San Francisco hippie era, and the Pranksters set the psychedelic scene.

Dec. 10: Fillmore first: The Grateful Dead, still known as the Warlocks, perform at the Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco for the first time, as part of Bill Graham’s S.F. Mime Troupe Appeal Party II. The lineup also includes the John Handy Quintet, Jefferson Airplane and the Mystery Trend.

December: Grateful Dead born: The band changes its name after learning of another group called Warlocks. Garcia spotted the phrase “grateful dead,” which the band later discovered to be from an Egyptian prayer, in a dictionary, and it stuck.

Jan. 22: Trips Festival: Kesey brings in the Dead to play the Trips Festival, held at the Longshoreman’s Hall in San Francisco’s North Beach. “The truth about the Trips Festival is that it was a three-night, weekend-long rock ’n’ roll dance with light effects. When the dull projections took over, as on Friday, it was nowhere. When the good rock music wailed, it was great,” wrote Chronicle Music Critic Ralph J. Gleason, who went on to become a founding editor of Rolling Stone.

Feb. 11: Stanley amplifies the Dead:Owsley Stanley, an early financier of the band, becomes the Grateful Dead’s sound engineer. “Without his technical innovations — he was one of the first people to mix concerts live and in stereo — the band might never have emerged from the San Francisco scene,” Rolling Stone wrote in a 2007 profile. Known on the West Coast as “Mr. LSD,” Stanley also mass-produced acid when it was still legal. The Dead’s song “Alice D. Millionaire” was inspired by newspaper accounts that described him as the “LSD millionaire.”

May 19: Avalon Ballroom: The Dead play their first show at Avalon Ballroom, located at Sutter Street and Van Ness Avenue in San Francisco. They played a total of 29 shows, and recorded two live albums — “Vintage Dead” and “Historic Dead” — there.

Dec. 31: Working for the man: Grateful Dead signs with Warner Bros. Records.

1967

Jan. 14: First signs of the Summer of Love: At least 20,000 — including some Hells Angels — gathered at Golden Gate Park’s Polo Field for the “Gathering of the Tribes,” the prelude to the Summer of Love that came to be known as the “Human Be-In.” “The tribes gathered early in the day. Some came in their 20th century teepees, old school buses, caravans and VW buses, and lined the embankment, overlooking the field. Tambourines, drums, flutes and chiming bells appeared and the air was filled with the buzz of voices and the sound of music,” wrote Gleason, who affirmed that “there were no drunks.”

March 1: First album release: “Grateful Dead”: The Grateful Dead release their self-titled debut album on Warner Bros. “The Grateful Dead have recorded for Warner Bros. an album which has everyone excited,” wrote Gleason. “The Dead are the most consistently excellent rock group around, their instrument work is beautiful, they swing like angels and Warner Bros. has apparently gotten this wonderful feeling on the tapes of the sessions.”

June 18: Monterey Pop: The Grateful Dead play the Monterey Pop Festival, in between the Who and Jimi Hendrix (who famously sets his guitar on fire during his performance). “The Grateful Dead did a fine set with some marvelously exciting and interesting guitar solos by Jerry Garcia and a great demonstration of their tightness and swing,” Gleason wrote.

Sept. 29: Hart beats: Bill Kreutzmann invites Mickey Hart to sit in with the Dead, making the band a sextet with two drummers. Two drummers! The pair become known as the Rhythm Devils.

Oct. 2: Hashbury bust: Band members and friends are busted in a pot raid at 710 Ashbury St. Rock Scully (the long-haired group’s long-haired business manager) and audio engineer Bob Matthews were fined $200 each. Pigpen and Bob Weir were fined $100 each. All were placed on probation for a year.

1968

March 3: Live on Haight Street: The band plays a free show on the back of a flatbed truck for thousands assembled on Haight Street. “A four-block stretch of fabled Haight Street yesterday was voluntarily surrendered to thousands of hippies and hippie-watchers. And the hippies did what they do best; they transformed the street into a sunny arcade of pleasure, celebrating the now with unqualified exuberance,” wrote Jerry Carroll in The Chronicle on March 4, 1968. “The Grateful Dead’s full-throated roar drowned out a monotonous burglar alarm at one end of the street; the Tracy’s Coffee and Doughnuts people rolled their jukebox out on the sidewalk; and countless trios and quartets formed and dissolved in between.”

July 18: “Anthem of the Sun”: The Grateful Dead release their second studio album, the decidedly psychedelic “Anthem of the Sun.” With this recording, future bandmate Tom (T.C.) Constanten contributes on keyboard, Dan Healy becomes sound man and Robert Hunter provides the lyrics to “Alligator.”

1969

June 20: The Dead release “Aoxomoxoa”: With “Aoxomoxoa,” a hugely expensive studio album, the Dead bring keyboardist Constanten and lyricist Hunter on full time with the band. It includes the live staples “St. Stephen,” “China Cat Sunflower” and “Cosmic Charlie.”

Aug. 17: Woodstock shock: The Dead give a famously poor performance at Woodstock. Among other complications, the rain caused the band’s electric equipment to malfunction. Garcia and Weir have said that their microphones kept shocking them.

Nov. 10: “Live/Dead” out: “Live/Dead,” the first of many live albums by the Grateful Dead, is released. Compiled from concerts recorded in San Francisco between Jan. 26 and March 2, 1969, it remains one of their career highlights.

Dec. 6: Deadly Altamont: The Dead are scheduled to play the infamous Altamont Speedway Free Festival. The poorly organized event was meant to be the “Woodstock of the West.” Instead it turned into what some fans call “the concert that ended the ’60s.” The Dead were supposed to play before the Rolling Stones, but never took the stage. They left before their set after learning that a member of the Hells Angels, who were “hired” as security guards, knocked out Jefferson Airplane singer Marty Balin during his performance. Other violence during the concert resulted in two deaths. “In 24 hours we created all the problems of our society in one place: congestion, violence, dehumanization,” Gleason wrote.

1970

Jan. 30: New Orleans bust: Police arrest 19 people and seize LSD, marijuana, barbiturates and “dangerous narcotic and non-narcotic drugs” in a raid of a French Quarter motel. Those arrested include Owsley Stanley (who identifies himself to police as the “King of Acid”), Jerry Garcia, Phil Lesh and Bob Weir.

Feb. 23: Winterland bailout: A benefit is held at Winterland with Jefferson Airplane, the Quicksilver Messenger Service, Santana, It’s a Beautiful Day, and Dan Hicks and His Hot Licks to help raise money to cover the $37,000 bail charges racked up in the Dead’s New Orleans bust. It raises $15,000.

June 14: “Workingman’s Dead”: “Workingman’s Dead,” recorded at Pacific High Recording Studio in San Francisco, marks a turn from psychedelia to a more country-rock sound, influenced by lyricist Hunter and the band’s friendship with Crosby, Stills and Nash at the time. It is followed only five months later by “American Beauty,” another classic studio album.

1971

Oct. 19: Keith on the keys:Keith Godchaux plays his first show with the Dead as keyboardist.

Oct. 24: “Grateful Dead”: The Dead’s seventh album, known as “Skull and Roses,” includes a callout to “Dead Heads.” The album’s sleeve included a message to fans: “Dead Freaks Unite: Who are you? Where are you? How are you? Send us your name and address, and we’ll keep you informed. Deadheads, P.O. Box 1065, San Rafael, California, 94901.” It was the beginning of perhaps the best-known fan club in music history.

1972

March 25: Donna Godchaux adds vocals: Donna Jean Godchaux, who was married to keyboardist Keith Godchaux, joins the band on vocals.

1973

March 8: Pigpen dies: Ron “Pigpen” McKernan, the Dead’s beloved keyboardist and vocalist, dies of liver failure in Corte Madera at age 27.

1974

Oct. 16: Dead at the Winterland: The Dead play a five-night stand at the Winterland Ballroom.

Oct. 20: Dead take a break: Fans line up to see the Dead play at Winterland before the band takes a 19-month hiatus from touring.

1976

July 12: Together again: The Dead perform their first official Bay Area show following the hiatus at the Orpheum Theatre in San Francisco. “Musically, the band sounded as fresh and inventive as ever, if not more so. Although the band took the predictable long breaks between songs, many of the tunes were stitched together end-to-end, as the Dead played as tightly as a soul band,” Joel Selvin wrote in The Chronicle. The sold-out show was in such high demand that it was broadcast on KSAN-FM.

1977

July 27: “Terrapin Station”: After 15 albums on Warner Bros., their own Round label and United Artists, the Grateful Dead release their first album for Arista Records, “Terrapin Station.” Arista remained their label for the rest of their recording career.

1978

Sept. 14: Alive in Egypt: The Grateful Dead begin three days of shows at the Egyptian pyramids. “The Great Pyramids of Giza have survived all kinds of visitors over the centuries, from the Roman legions to Napoleon. ... So it was perhaps a matter of time until the stately pyramids would be wired for sound by an American rock band,” the Washington Post wrote.

July 23: Keith Godchaux dies in car crash: Keith Godchaux dies in a car accident in Marin County, at age 32, about a year after leaving the band. The sports car he was riding in struck a parked car.

Sept. 25: Dead for 15 years: To celebrate the band’s 15th anniversary, the Dead open an 18-date run at the Warfield theater in San Francisco.

Oct. 31: Saturday Night Dead: The Grateful Dead make an appearance on “Saturday Night Live.” Tom Davis and Al Franken go backstage, asking the band to introduce them to the audience. In 1982, Jerry Garcia and Bob Weir appear on “Late Night With David Letterman.”

1985

April 13: 20 years Dead: The Dead marks its 20-year anniversary with a three-night run at the Greek Theatre in Berkeley.

1986

July 10: Garcia in a coma: Garcia collapses at his Marin County home and falls into a diabetic coma. A statement issued by the band said: “Jerry Garcia is in a hospital receiving treatment for the sudden onset of diabetes and a general systemic infection as a result of an abscessed tooth and exhaustion following a road tour.” The band’s publicist denies that drugs are involved.

1987

July 6: “In the Dark” LP: The Dead release “In the Dark,” a comeback album featuring “Touch of Grey,” “Hell in a Bucket,” “West L.A. Fadeaway” and “Throwing Stones.”

Sept. 26: Dead reach top 40: “Touch of Grey” enters the Top 40 charts. It would go on to peak at No. 9, putting the Dead in the Top 10 for the first — and last — time.

1989

Jan. 31: Dylan and the Dead: “Dylan & the Dead” CD by Bob Dylan and the Grateful Dead released. “Two old war horses here — one who can’t sing; the other who can’t play — captured in live performances from six 1987 concert dates together,” wrote Chronicle Music Critic Marty Racine. “Altogether, it’s a pleasant enough affair for the Geritol set. One wonders, though. If this is the best from their tour, what can the outtakes sound like?”

1990

July 26: Mydland overdoses: Mydland dies of a drug overdose in Lafayette at age 37. “During his first few years with the band, Mydland played in the shadow of the other more famous band members, but in recent years, he had come on as a stronger presence,” Kevin Leary wrote in The Chronicle. “News of Mydland’s death spread quickly through the close-knit Deadhead community, which follows the band’s every move. The Grateful Dead Hotline, which provides information on concert dates and tickets, was besieged with calls by early afternoon,” Leary wrote.

Sept. 15: Hornsby helps: Bruce Hornsby joins the band as a regular guest on keyboards.

1992

January: Garcia neckties: In addition to slinging a guitar, Garcia, who briefly studied at San Francisco Art Institute, painted abstract works of art. Beginning in 1992, his works make an unlikely appearance on a line of neckties. “Mr. Garcia, whose signature look is a black T-shirt and coordinated jeans and ‘who probably never wore a tie in his life,’ laughed when he recently received a box of samples,” said Irwin Sternberg, the president of Stonehenge Ltd., which launched the ties. The neckwear, nonetheless, became popular with the 9-to-5 set.

August: Garcia cancels tour: Garcia cancels an 18-date East Coast tour scheduled to start in August after he collapses.

1994

Jan. 19: Hall of Famers: The Grateful Dead are inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at the institution’s ninth annual induction dinner.

1995

Summer: Tour from hell: The band’s summer of 1995 tour would become known to Deadheads as the “Tour From Hell.” At the time, Garcia was having issues with drugs and had also been receiving death threats, according to “No Simple Highway: A Cultural History of the Grateful Dead.” To make matters worse, thousands of fans crashed a gate at one of the band’s shows in, prompting the cancellation of the subsequent show because local police refused to work it. “Want to end the touring life of the Grateful Dead?” an Internet message board post from the band read. “Allow bottle-throwing gate-crashers to keep on thinking they’re cool anarchists instead of the creeps they are.” In St. Louis that summer, the deck at a campground where many fans were staying for a Dead show collapsed, sending 108 people to the hospital.

July 9: Last call: The Grateful Dead perform their 2,314th — and final — concert at Soldier Field in Chicago. The last music performed by the entire band is a medley of “Black Muddy River” and “Box of Rain.”

Aug. 9: Jerry dies: Jerry Garcia dies at a drug treatment center in Marin County at age 53. He had checked in two days earlier. What started as a sunny day in the Haight turned dark and somber as people learned of Garcia’s death. “People like Jerry Garcia aren’t supposed to die. The head Deadhead is immortal. Now he’ll be gone for a long time, this lovable, huggable bear with the twinkly eyes and the best of vibes,” wrote Chronicle columnist Herb Caen.

Aug. 13: Deadheads pay respect: Garcia is celebrated by family and thousands of friends in Golden Gate Park.

1995

After the band splits up, the band members form several (sometimes overlapping) side projects, including RatDog, Bobby and the Midnites, the Other Ones, the Dead, Furthur, Dark Star Orchestra, Rhythm Devils, Missing Man Formation, Move Me Brightly and others.

2006

June 2: Welnick commits suicide: Suffering from depression, Welnick takes his own life. He is the fourth Grateful Dead keyboardist to die.

2008

Feb. 4: Deadheads for Obama: Ahead of the Super Tuesday primaries, Lesh, Weir and Hart perform together at the Warfield theater in San Francisco in support of candidate Barack Obama.

2015

Jan. 16: Raising the Dead: Surviving members — guitarist Weir, 67, bassist Lesh, 75, and drummers Kreutzmann, 69, and Hart, 71 — resurrect the Dead with a final tour to celebrate the band’s 50th anniversary. The 2015 “Fare Thee Well” tour includes shows in Santa Clara and Chicago, with with Phish singer-guitarist Trey Anastasio and keyboardist Bruce Hornsby along for the band’s final ride.